4 Islands Tour Krabi: An Honest Guide from Ao Nang Locals

The 4 Islands tour is the classic Krabi boat trip: a full day from Ao Nang visiting Phra Nang Cave Beach, Chicken Island, Tup Island, and Poda Island for roughly 650–1,000 baht by longtail or 950–1,500 baht by speedboat, plus a 400-baht national park fee paid in cash. Pickups run between 8:00 and 9:00, and the highlight — walking the sandbar between Koh Tup and Koh Mor — only happens around low tide, so check a tide table before you book.

In short:

• Group longtail tours run about 650–1,000 baht per person; speedboats 950–1,500 baht
• The national park fee (~400 baht adult, 200 child) is almost never included — bring small notes
• The Tup Island sandbar is only walkable around low tide, which shifts ~50 minutes a day
• Full-day tours with lunch on Poda Island are the best value; half-days feel rushed
• The route is Krabi’s most sheltered, so it runs nearly every day, even in rainy season

We run Thongyib Thongyod, a brunch and dessert cafe near Nopparat Thara Beach, and a large share of our morning customers are eating fast because a tour van is coming at nine. So we have heard years of same-day feedback — which boats were comfortable, which stops were crowded, who forgot a dry bag. This guide is what we would tell a friend booking the tour tonight.

The four stops, and what each one is for

Despite the name, only three of the stops are actually islands. All four sit in the bay directly off Ao Nang and Railay.

Phra Nang Cave Beach

Technically part of the Railay peninsula, reachable only by boat. This is the postcard stop: a wide white beach backed by a cliff, with the Phra Nang cave shrine at one end. It is also the busiest stop, since Railay day-trippers arrive here too. Swim, look at the shrine, watch the rock climbers on the cliffs above.

Chicken Island (Koh Gai)

Named for the rock formation at its southern tip, which genuinely does look like a chicken’s head and neck from the water. This is usually the snorkelling stop — most tours anchor off the island rather than landing, and you swim from the boat. Expect small reef fish rather than dramatic coral.

Tup Island and the sandbar

Two small islands — Koh Tup and Koh Mor — joined by a white sandbar that appears at low tide. When the tide is right, you can walk between the islands through ankle-deep water with sea on both sides. This is the stop people remember, and it is entirely tide-dependent, so read the timing section below.

Poda Island

The biggest of the four, with a long white beach facing back toward the mainland cliffs. Most full-day tours serve lunch here. It is the easiest place on the trip to simply lie down in the shade for an hour.

Longtail or speedboat?

Every agent on the Ao Nang strip sells both versions, and the difference matters more than the price gap suggests.

Boat	Price	What you get
Group longtail	~650–1,000 THB/person	Slower, louder, wetter, much more photogenic; smaller groups, relaxed pace, the ride feels like part of the trip
Speedboat	~950–1,500 THB/person	Same route in less time, so longer island stops; handles chop better, but larger groups and a bumpier ride
Private longtail	~2,500–4,000 THB/boat	You set the schedule — the way to reach the islands before the group tours; split four ways, barely more than two speedboat tickets

Our honest take: if the sea is calm and you are not prone to seasickness, take the longtail. If you are travelling with small children, are short on time, or the forecast shows wind, take the speedboat.

Planning your 4 Islands day? Start it at our table — we open at 8:00, five minutes from Nopparat Thara Beach. See the menu · Get directions

Half-day, full-day, or sunset and plankton?

The same four stops get packaged three ways:

• Full-day (the standard) — pickup between about 8:00 and 9:00, back by mid-to-late afternoon, lunch included on Poda Island. This is what most people mean by “the 4 Islands tour” and the best value.
• Half-day — the same route compressed, usually morning or early afternoon, often without lunch. Fine if you only want a taste, but the stops feel rushed.
• Sunset and plankton tour — leaves in the afternoon, catches golden light at the islands when the day crowds have gone, serves a barbecue dinner on the beach, then finishes with a night swim among bioluminescent plankton. Typically 6 to 6.5 hours, around 750–1,500 baht depending on boat and inclusions. One caveat agents rarely volunteer: the glow ranges from magical to faint depending on the moon.

If you can only pick one, the full-day is the safe choice; the sunset version is the one to add if you have a second evening free. Full-day people get one quiet bonus: you are back in time for Thai desserts and coffee at our place before we close at 18:00, while the sunset crowd comes home to the night market instead.

What does a 4 Islands tour cost?

Around 650–1,000 baht per person for a group longtail tour, 950–1,500 baht by speedboat — plus a national park fee that is almost never in the sticker price. The islands sit inside Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Budget around 400 baht per adult and 200 baht per child, paid in cash on the day — bring it in small notes, because the collection point will not have change for a 1,000 note at 9:30 in the morning.

Beyond that, prices in Ao Nang are negotiable at the walk-in agents, especially in the May–October low season. Booking online in advance is convenient but rarely cheaper than the desks on the strip. Whatever you pay, confirm three things: pickup time, whether lunch is included, and whether the fee is extra.

What to bring

A short list, learned from watching soggy customers come back at 4pm:

• Reef-safe sunscreen, applied before you board. There is almost no shade on a longtail, and the water reflects everything. Reapply after every swim.
• A dry bag for your phone, cash, and a spare shirt. Longtails take spray over the bow routinely; cheap dry bags are sold all along the strip.
• Cash for the park fee, drinks, and tips.
• Water shoes or sandals you can wear wet — the Tup sandbar and some landings have sharp shell fragments.
• A hat, sunglasses, and a sarong or light cover-up. Between noon and 2pm the sun on white sand is genuinely fierce.
• Motion sickness tablets if you need them — see below.

Leave the drone question to your operator; rules around Railay change and some areas restrict flying.

Seasickness and sea conditions

The 4 Islands route is one of the most sheltered in Krabi, which is why it runs through the rainy season when Phi Phi trips get cancelled. Still, if you are prone to seasickness: take a tablet 30–60 minutes before departure, not on the boat; sit toward the middle and rear of a longtail rather than the bow; keep your eyes on the horizon during crossings; and eat something light beforehand rather than boarding hungry. A plain breakfast an hour before departure settles the stomach far better than skipping food — our regulars swear by sourdough toast and ginger tea before their 9am pickup (find us at Ao Nang Landmark; we open at 8:00).

Rough-sea days do happen from May to October. Operators cancel or switch longtails for speedboats when the swell picks up; if your tour is cancelled, you get rebooked or refunded, so do not let low season put you off booking.

When can you walk the Tup Island sandbar?

Only around low tide. At high tide the sandbar between Koh Tup and Koh Mor sits under knee-to-waist-deep water — still pretty, but not the walk-between-two-islands moment you have seen in photos.

Low tide shifts by roughly 50 minutes every day, so there is no fixed “good day of the week.” Two practical moves:

1. Check a tide table for Ao Nang or Railay for your dates before booking.
2. Ask the tour desk directly: “Will we be at Tup Island at low tide?” Good operators plan their route order around it and will tell you honestly.

If the tides fall badly during your stay, this is a genuine reason to choose a private longtail, since you control the schedule.

When Hong Islands or Phi Phi is the better choice

The 4 Islands tour is not the only boat trip from Ao Nang, and it is not always the right one.

• Hong Islands — further northwest, inside Than Bok Khorani National Park (separate fee, around 300 baht). The draw is the enclosed emerald lagoon you float into through a gap in the cliffs, plus quieter beaches. Group tours start around 1,250 baht. Choose Hong over the 4 Islands if you have already seen Railay and Phra Nang, or if crowds bother you more than boat time.
• Phi Phi day trip — a full day by speedboat, roughly 45 minutes to an hour each way, taking in Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, and Bamboo Island. It is more expensive, more scheduled, and considerably more crowded — but the scenery at Pileh is on another scale. Choose Phi Phi if it is your only trip to the Andaman coast and you want the famous sights; skip it in rough weather.

Our rule of thumb for a week in Ao Nang: 4 Islands first, Hong second, Phi Phi only if the sea is calm and you make peace with the crowds.

Practical information

• Season: November–February is peak, with the calmest seas. May–October is rainy season — lower prices, occasional cancellations, boats still run most days.
• Pickup: most full-day tours collect from Ao Nang and Khlong Haeng hotels between 8:00 and 9:00. We are at Ao Nang Landmark in Khlong Haeng, right in the pickup zone — handy if you want a coffee in hand when the van arrives.
• Duration: full-day tours return between about 15:30 and 17:00; sunset tours return around 20:00–20:30.
• Money: carry small cash for the 400-baht park fee; card payments only work at the agents, not on the islands.
• Booking: tour desks line the entire Ao Nang strip and Nopparat Thara road; your hotel can also book, usually at the same price.

Quick answers

Is the national park fee included in the tour price? Almost never. Budget around 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, cash only, and ask the agent directly before booking — it is what makes identical-looking tours compare differently.

Which islands does the 4 Islands tour visit? Phra Nang Cave Beach (technically the Railay peninsula), Chicken Island, Tup Island with its low-tide sandbar, and Poda Island, where full-day tours serve lunch.

Does the tour run in rainy season? Yes — it is the most sheltered boat route in Krabi and runs most days from May to October. If rough seas cancel your tour, you get rebooked or refunded.

Where should we eat before the pickup? At Thongyib Thongyod — we open at 8:00, so most 8:30–9:00 pickups leave time for a proper brunch; something plain like sourdough toast and ginger tea settles the stomach for a longtail far better than boarding hungry.

How do you see bioluminescent plankton? Book the sunset version of the tour, which ends with a night swim. The glow depends on moon phase — darker, moonless nights are noticeably better.

However your day on the water goes, you will come back salty, sun-tired, and hungry. Our smoothie bowls and fresh juices exist for exactly this state — we are open until 18:00, so there is time to rinse off first. See you before or after the boat.